Punch type forceps, referred to as rongeurs or kerrison type cutters, have been employed in a variety of medical procedures that call for excising tissue and even bony material. Such medical procedures include, for example, endoscopic procedures. Typical known forceps include a sharp cutter, or punch, that is positioned at a distal end of a hollow tube. The proximal end of the hollow tube is connected to hand grips that are squeezed together to move the punch against a footplate. In operation, when the hand grip is not actuated, a gap is formed between the footplate and the cutter. Tissue and/or bony material enters the gap and the hand grips are actuated to move the cutter against the footplate, thereby severing tissue and/or bone material that is positioned in the gap.
The foot plate in most prior art designs are configured such that the foot plate includes either a 40° angle or a 90° angle. These designs were created to address a variety of clinical needs and challenges associated with accessing tissue to enable effective cutting of tissue. For example, the 40° angle foot plate is most prominently used because it affords the ability to get under a tissue surface. More specifically, the foot plate is used as a shovel. However, gristle tissue, harder bone, and even softer tissue may slip out of the gap between the foot plate and the cutter, and off the foot plate, as the cutter is advanced towards the foot plate.